Mirra
Andreeva (No. 47) apologized to her supporters after being defeated by Barbora
Krejcikova (No. 11) 6-4, 4-6, 3-6 in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian
Open.
The young
Russian was the breakout star of 2023 and started this year by showing that she
is ready to take the next step. Andreeva played in the final of the Australian
Open Junior just a year ago and has now reached the last 16, matching her
achievement at Wimbledon last year.
Andreeva
sailed through the first round with a comfortable victory over the American
Bernarda Pera (No. 71) with a score of 7-5, 6-2. However, she then caused one
of the biggest upsets of the tournament by demolishing the world No. 6 Ons
Jabeur 6-0, 6-2 in less than an hour.
In the
third round, she once again had an epic performance, this time by overturning a
match that seemed almost insurmountable against Diane Parry (No. 72), when she
was trailing 5-1, 15-0 in the third set but rallied to win 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) at
a sublime level. Andreeva expressed gratitude for the support she received from
the audience throughout the week and apologized if she disappointed them with
the result:
"I
hope that next year I will be able to be back and play again with this amazing
crowd. Today there was a lot of people who was cheering for me. I'm really
sorry to everyone that maybe I disappointed you a bit. I'm sure that the next
match here I will try to be at my best level, to make you happy," Mirra
Andreeva said.
The 16-year-old teenager fought for more than two hours but couldn't prevail against the 2021 French Open champion Krejcikova. The latter came back from a set down, showcasing her experience and authority within the Tour to stay mentally engaged in the match until the last point.
"It's
always very special to be -- doesn't matter which Grand Slam. But Melbourne is
also very special. It was just my third time here but second time playing on
these courts. First times playing on this big courts and the stadiums.
"As I
said, there is a lot of positive things to take from here. I just love
Melbourne. I love being here. I love being in this atmosphere. I love playing
on these courts."
Andreeva
leaves Australia with a substantial number of points, propelling her to the
world No. 33 in the live ranking. The Russian is on the brink of entering
seeded positions and is among the few players who do not have points to defend
in the coming weeks, which will be advantageous in her future main draw draws
at major tournaments.